1000 Paper Cranes
by Steam.bun.ny
Summary: All it took was one wish and it was over. It just simply meant she would die while they all could live, but Tsuru was fine with that.However, reincarnation went a little haywire and she remembers it all. Everything. That wont stop her from living her new life though. Nothing will stop her from creating a new family. Not even a devil of a man named Orochimaru. (OC)
1. Prologue

Prologue

This was a mess. I full fucking mess. I gripped sanemi's shoulder. "Love.. we have to go, he's gone." I whispered to him, Sanemi staring blankly at the ground in front of him as he clutched genya's clothes. All that remained of him. His little brother… I slowly sunk to my knees and hugged him, whimpering softly as I felt him tense as my cheek touched his arm, tears sliding down my face. Gyomei-san was right. We had to go, the fight isn't over. But I… I couldn't bare to pull him away in this state. The last time I ever saw him so shaken was when we found out out child didn't survive the stomach injury. He was so broken and shaken. We both were. I almost gave up everything and he had to pull me back. But this? To lose his baby brother he so viciously tried to protect? Could I pull him back from this? I felt his arms slowly wrap around me, his face buried against my neck, his tears rolling onto my skin.

"He loved you Sanemi-kun. He loved you so very much he gave his life for you." I whispered, cupping the back of his head, trying my hardest to keep a sob from ripping out of my throat. His heart. Oh god his heart. I could hear it beating so slowly as it screamed in pain. Oh Sanemi…

"Lets leave."

…What? I moved back a bit, Sanemi following my lead and raising his eyes to meet mine. They were red from crying, looking empty for a moment but filled with sorrow as he stared at me.

"L-leave? S-sanemi we-we cant-"

"Please."

"What about our friends we-"

"Peaches-"

"W-we can't leave the Sanemi! We have t-"

"I CANT FUCKING LOSE YOU TOO! Goddamnit PEACHES!"

He screamed, his hands trembling as he gripped my shoulders, tears pouring down his face.

"YOU," he started, clenching his teeth for a moment to calm himself before starting again, "I can't do this, i-i can't lose you- fuck, goddamnit I lost everything else! M-my mom, my brothers and sisters, Genya, o-our… baby. I just, I can't lose you too Peaches. We can leave. They can win without us, we can live to see another day we c-can try again… We can try for another baby, retire and stay away f-from this life and have a life we-" His words were cut off by my lips crashing onto his. His lips tasted tangy from the tears and blood but I paid no mind to it. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close, his arms immediately wrapping around my waist and holding me against him. The kiss was one of sorrow and longing, where all we wanted was to melt away together. I wanted to stay like this forever but… but there was no time. I slowly pulled back, his eyes fluttering open as they transfixed on me. For a moment, his eyes shone of a calm child-like sweetness, and his heart regained the happy flutter it usually had.

"After." I whispered, cupping his cheeks in mine.

"...What?" He asked, Pressing his face into my hands. I smiled, wiping his tears away as best I could.

"Just one more fight ok? Let's just fight this one demon and we can leave. Just one more fight and we can retire. Have a family. One more fight and we can live under the sun and moon without fear. I promise." I cooed, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. My eyes flicked to Gyomei who stood behind us, tears rolling down his cheeks for Genya and Muichiro. He waited patiently for us, fearful of Sanemi's decision. So was I. Because if he said to leave? I would. I would follow him anywhere.

"One more fight."

* * *

I was wrong. Muzan was so much more dangerous than I thought, nothing we did even managed to touch him. Any injury he received it healed faster than any of us could blink. Gyomei, the strongest of all of us struggled to keep up with him. This was bad, so so bad. I screamed out as Mitsuri was hit with a whiplash by muzan, knocking her clean out of the air.

"MITSURI!" I rushed to her, catching her in the air before she could hit the ground which only led to me gasping for air when my back slammed down to cushion her. I groaned and sat up, adjusting her in my arms to look at her.

"Mitsu are you alr-" I felt sick. Blood gushed into my uniform as I stared at the stump where the rest of her arm used to be. I shivered and tears welled in my eyes and I quickly ripped the red ribbon from my hair, sentiments of my mother out the door as I hurried to tie it around what remained of her arm to try and stop the bleeding. Luckily Mitsuri was quick and focused her bleeding to try and circulate her blood through the rest of her body, though her eyes were wide with panic and fear. My heart clogged in my throat. The bodies of lower ranked slayers laid around us, blood and carnage everywhere we looked. How could muzan… That thing be so heartless? He- he was a monster. Could we beat him. I looked to Mitsuri for strength only to see her with the same expression.

"1 HOUR TILL SUNRISE! 1 HOur till…" The crows words fell deaf on my ears after a moment.1 hour? We have to hold him off for 1 fucking hour?

"Peaches!" I quickly looked up as Sanemi landed in front of me, his face dropped when he saw Mitsuri. "Can she-" "I can fight!" Mitsuri cut him off, her eyes like daggers as she stared at Muzan from our distance. She shot me a look and smiled at me reassuringly.

"Hey, I've dealt with a drunk you at your bachelorette I can do anything." She teased spinning her sword in her hands, and then jumping back into the fight faster than I could blink leaving Sanemi and I on our own. I stared at the fight, nothing working on him.

"Will we survive an hour." My voice trembled as I spoke, and I immediately felt sanemi link his hand in mine.

"No. We won't… But we can still save everyone." My eyes widened at his words. No… he couldn't mean-

"Sanemi that-... that form, it'll only kill me, not you." I tried to explain but was stopped by his sad expression. "You think I won't follow after you go?" He said softly, facing towards me and cupping my cheeks.

"We aren't going to survive this fight peaches. We either die with him still living. Or it just be you and me who die, and we save the future generations…" He struggled out, gritting his teeth as he said it. He didn't want to ask me this. I know he didnt and it hurt me so fucking me that he was driven to ask me this. But he was right. We won't survive. I felt tears roll down my cheeks again, God how many times have I cried tonight? My hands found his and I held his hands tighter against my cheeks.

"...I love you Sanemi. I love you so much.." I whispered, sniffling as he gently kissed my tears away for a moment before his lips found my lips. The kiss was as long as we could let it be. The kiss was goodbye. My fingers tangled in his hair one last time and his arms held me tight. I allowed my ears to drown in the sound of heart, letting every other sound fall away. His beautiful, beautiful heart.

When he pulled away a sob escaped my throat. "I love you Tsuru… I'm sorry we couldn't get our happy ending." He whispered, trying to be strong but the grief in his voice was suffocating. He then took a step back, staring at me as if he tried to burn me into his memory.

"Do it." '_Kill me first.' _ I could hear his unspoken words, and so I raised my arm, my eyes on him doing the same. My arm burst into paper, it forming into a spear , and just before I let the spear pierced his heart, He smiled at me. The same smile he gave me on our wedding day. The smile he gave me after we first 'laid' together. The smile he had when I told him he would be a father. And as his heart was pierced so was mine. All sounds became deaf on my ears , it was all white noise as I watched him crumble to the ground, gasping on his knees. I stood there for a few moments, slowly turning to see Muzan watching me, dare I say curious at what I was doing.

"Why, a lovers suicide? How _romantic._" He jeered, his tone mocking us. '_Cowards' _ He hissed. Rage. That was all I could feel, pure unadulterated rage. The broken buildings around me began to move as the wood in them shedding into paper that surrounded us all. Muzan looked at me with wide eyes, though I wasn't sure why. What? Never seen an angry blonde? The papers kept coming and coming, until I was sure there was enough. With a blink they all folded into 1000 paper cranes. I dropped to my knees, my sword forming in my hand, and I basked in its pale pink beauty under the moonlight one more time.

"Ninth Style: Senbazuru Orizuru." I said softly, feeling relief floods me as I felt Sanemi at my side, leaning on me. He was here. In my final moments, he was here. Thank goodness. I pungs the sword into my own heart, gasping at the pain for only a moment before I was met with a gentle warmth. I was in his arms, his lips pressed to the corner of my eye. The paper cranes around us all began to glow, I could hear Mitsuri scream my name but I didn't care. I sank into Sanemi's embrace, pressing my ear to his chest, drowning in the sound of his heart beat before finally, it all faded to black.


	2. Chapter 1: Into The Unknown

_When I was first able to realize what happened or what I had done I was about seven years old I think. The first seven years blurred together you see, I hardly remember speaking unless it was to answer questions or such. When I realized what had happened, I panicked. I became scared of going out at night , every little thing scared me. All I could think about was Muzan. What had happened the night we all tried to end it. It took me a whole year before I was able to realize I was no longer in the same world I had called my own, hell that demons were not even a problem in this world. It was the least of the problems in this world honestly._

_Even though I was only a child, the head of the village paid for my flat. Instead of an orphanage they had that sort of thing. I almost didn't believe my memories were real, until Akio showed up, my Kusagai crow. When she showed up and said my name something inside of me broke, and I just cried. Some Kusagai crows take longer to learn how to say full sentences , some can and just don't like talking much. Akio was like that. The only time she spoke a lot was when I first got promoted to Hashira.,The Origami Pillar. When she appeared it let me know that the wish had worked. Muzan was dead. Sanemi and I didnt die for nothing. But the repercussion is I had been reborn into some world I knew nothing of. At least though, Akio was with me. _

_At first the world seemed strange to me. Watching everyone live under the sun and moon without fear. Watching those around me walk around at night despite the darkness. Watching and waiting for someone to light wisteria incense to burn and protect their homes but never being met with its vigilant scent. In a way, I hated it. The safety felt … unsafe. Like it was simply a demon trying to lull me into a sense of security before it strikes. In a morbid way I preferred that, something that felt familiar it even drove me to carrying around a necklace locket with wisteria inside of it, the scent acted as a comfort in a world of too __**much**_ _comfort. For a while I couldn't even go outside at night without breaking down into shambles at my fear of how unarmed I was and how blissfull they were. I once got lost outside at night. It was horrible. That night a man who tried to take me away, a petty man taking advantage of a little girl who was too afraid to even fight back. Of course he didn't know in reality I was 26 if I included the years spent here, but that didn't matter with my scrawny twisted my arm when I tried to pull away and I remember the searing pain felt when it broke. I screamed and kicked but it seemed no matter what I did he wouldn't let up until-... Blood. Blood splashed across my face as the man's throat was slit wide open, and I was dropped to the ground. The man struggled and gasped for air, choking on his own blood and grabbing at the wound. In front of me was a man, well, a teenager who stood over him. Anger seemed to pulse over his face until he remembered why he killed the man in the first place. But when he looked to me expecting to have to calm a , now scarred and scared little girl but when he looked at me, surprise crossed his features. I was calm. I was utterly serene and all my panic and fear had been washed away. I was happy even. This world __was_ _dangerous. Safety isn't guaranteed. It was so beautiful and so morbid of a joy that I laughed. I laughed until I began to cry from the joy and didn't stop when I was scooped up by the boy and felt the wind press against my face. I managed to pry my eyes open to see the boys face, shocked when he was crying as well, but his tears seemed to have been running dry from crying far longer ago and I used my small, childlike hands and tried to wipe his tears away and to my dismay the boy began to cry , slowing his run and for 1 minute he crumbled to his knees and sobbed while me to his chest. His cries sounded so much like a broken little boy that I couldn't help but try to comfort him. To tell him it was ok and it wasn't his fault but that it was ok to cry. That he protected someone with what he did. Killing was hard, and even when you seemingly grew numb to it it still would resonate with you. Even if that man deserved it in the first place. After that 1 minute he stood up, and ran again. But this time he ran faster and held her tighter until we landed at what I was able to tell was a hospital. He handed me off to a nurse and they immediately got to work on trying to help me. And the next morning when I had woken up, all I did was smile despite soreness of my arm I felt. This world isn't safe. Thank God._

_By the time I had this epiphany I had entered an Academy for ninja. While I studied during the school days I did try to remanifest my old abilities. Back home, I came from a clan of women who were all born blessed with the breath of Origami, though my style of it came out, as my father called it, corrupted. My body at moments could be turned to paper, as long as I had air in my lungs. My sword, when paired with my breathing soon changed to match my body and I could simply keep my sword inside of me. The blacksmiths loved me cause I never broke it, but it wasn't like It could break. I was a pretty damn good Hashira you know! But here… It seemed like starting at square one. All my stamina and adept ability for 'holding-my breath' was gone. Even just trying to perform the different forms made me exhausted. Just meant I had to work back up to my original speed. To help build my body and stamina back up I took part in a ballet class that happened for an hour after academy. Needless to say, I wasnt that talkative to people, but It wasn't because I didn't like them! On the contrary, I liked them a lot! They all were so interesting and beautiful in their own ways, their hearts sounded lovely. It's more so that I, well, never had the time. I also felt like I was too old for them, even though physically I was the same age. . I didn't pay attention to anything except Iruka during class time and when It was lunch I stayed in the class and read up more about this world. Iruka was concerned I didn't get along with the other kids but it became a habit or repeatedly assuring him that I was simply just more interested in my studies. After class I had ballet and then I worked on trying to get down the breath forms again. My eyes moved faster than my body, Its weird when your body didn't listen to what you want to do. Plus I also worked on the whole chakra thing. Trying to properly control it was like Full focus breathing, and needed to be constantly watched. And then on the weekends I spent most time in the library or bugging the receptionist at the Hospital to allow me to help in any way I could. It be bringing patients food was enough really. I used to live in the butterfly's estate so taking care of dumb demon slayers used to be part of my job. Since that never did work out I helped the librarian for a little bit of cash every two weeks to go into my savings. I think the first time I ever really interacted with my peers was when iruka finally began to have us spar with each other, it was a practice called Taijutsu. _

"_Hey it's the pink eye girl!"_

"_Tsuru means crane doesn't it? That's so pretty!"_

"_Isn't she mute or something?"_

_The voices belonged to , what I believed to be, Choji , Sakura and Kiba. Ah! Sakura said my name was pretty! So sweet. When I walked up to the makeshift arena (a space on the floor with chalk for borders) my opponent was Soseki Kouda. The only thing I remember about him was that he was kind of rude but that was it. _

"_Alright you two, all you have to do to win is to keep your opponent down for ten seconds or knock them out of the square.. No ninjutsu or weapons ok whoever finishes their fight out of everyone the fastest gets extra credit alright?" Iruka instructed with a smile. Extra Credit? Wll if I got enough extra credit I could use it in other things if I needed it… Hm, alright! Soseki smirked and crossed his arms while he looked at me._

"_Read my lips , Pipsqueak. You're goin down!" He grinned and jabbed his thumb at the ground. I instantly frowned. Yes I was small. I was a pink eyed, blond who shared the title of being the shortest in the class with another blond, but he had blue eyes. _

"_I'm already as low to the ground as I can be, how shorter do you want me to go?"_

_I grumbled quietly as Iruka yelled 'Start!'. Almost immediately the kid ran at me, yelling and already aiming his punch. I felt kind of bad actually. I bit the inside of my cheek and waited for him to get close enough before stepping to the side and using my left arm to punch as hard as I could in the jaw. Soseki wobbled for a moment, before ultimately collapsing to the ground from the knockout. Poor kid. He did call me Pipsqueak though. I looked to Iruka and walked up to him, smiling happily. _

"_Do I get the Extra Credit?" I asked, hoping for praise. I couldn't tell if more kids were surprised I spoke or punched him. Iruka only laughed and ruffled my hair._

"_Not unless someone can beat 7 seconds!" I reveled under the praise, though swatted his hand away to fix my bow. Before he could even stop himself a bubbly blond jumped in front of me._

"_Hey, hey, hey! Tsuru-san you gotta show how to do the that it was super cool!" The boy in front of me has golden hair, blue eyes and whiskers. None other than Naruto Uzumaki. Though when he spoke to me it looked as though he instantly regretted it, and I understood why. Every now and then I caught glimpses of how others treated him. Some people wouldn't even allow him to buy things. At first got scared and thought it was an orphan thing but when I bought something from them the next day they pinched my cheeks and called me adorable. _

_Before naruto could lose his courage I gently put my fist against the side of his chin. _

"_Just hit that spot as hard as you can and you'll jumble the brain. Its super sensitive so depending on how hard you punch them it should knock them out or at least make super duper dizzy!" I said while repeatedly, lightly mind you, bumping my fist on the side of his jaw, adding a more childlike hint to my tone. His reaction to me speaking to him, hell even just touching him, warmed my heart. His eyes were so bright and his heart gave out such a pure and innocent sound. Someone so hated and alone had such a beautiful sound in his heart. It seemed unfair; it was always loneliest people with the kindest hearts, an unfair and unwritten rule of the world. Naruto exploded into a bomb of chatter that slowly progressed to him asking me random questions about myself that I happily answered, to his delight. Even though I thought it was only that day, the next day I found the bumble bee sitting next to me. He looked scared and frightened, the thoughts that I would scream him away seemed to swirl above his head. So I didnt. I did my best to make him feel included in everything I did. Whether it be me forcing him to pay better attention in class or to letting him see my practice with my blade when no one else was around. Sometimes I had the boy stay at my flat when he seemed too heartbroken to be on his own. I remember the first time I made him stay over. He seemed so happy and basically skipped the whole time to my flat. That was the day Naruto discovered I lived alone, just like him. His excitement seemed to die and he followed me around like a puppy the whole time, watching every move I made to even watching me make dinner. I didn't mind it all, he was cute with his wide blue eyes were filled with mostly curiosity of what I was doing , asking in a soft voice if he could help every now and then, which I of course let him. Once it was late enough I had set up a makeshift bed on the couch for Naruto and bid him goodnight. I slept soundly, Wisteria Incense burning in my room , until I was awoken by the sound of my door creaking open. Now I was always a light sleeper, and being in a weaker body only made it worse. But when I heard it was the familiar sound of Naruto's heart, I relaxed. I thought he would leave once he discovered this was most definitely not the bathroom, until I heard the door close and a soft patter of feet coming after it. I felt some of the cover tug as he slid down next to the bed. Only then did I notice the soft pitiful sniffles of the little boy sitting on the floor. Quietly, I sat up, looking over to see the small boy sitting with his knees to his chest as he sat next to my bed. For a moment, I did nothing; just watching him for a few moments. Then I reached over and gently tapped his shoulder, visibly startling the boy._

"_Get in." I raised the blanket up, nodding for him to get under the covers. Naruto looked embarrassed and surprised that I was even awake at this time._

"_T-tsuru i-i'm sorry I-I didn't mean-" _

"_Its ok to have nightmares dummy, just get in." I sighed, not wasting a moment and gently tugging his collar. Naruto stared at me for a few moments, before sniffling and climbing into the bed. He snuggled his head against my stomach and wrapped his arms around before silently beginning to weep. My hand found its way to the boys head and I began to sing to him, just a simple lullaby I remembered from when I was his age. I sang it over and over until he fell asleep, his chest rising slowly as his peacefully sleep continued. For me I simply hummed to myself until I too fell asleep._

_After that Naruto stuck even closer to me than before, it even evolving to me making him lunch; He never ate one during our break time. It took me nagging to get him to eat the vegetables but he came around… After I would glare at him. Eventually I did end up talking a bit more to the others in the class, which only escalated to me growing so comfortable to not being afraid to hold my tongue. Sometimes when projects were important I would bother Shikamaru until he completed them, or ask the girls to leave that poor Sasuke boy alone. Whenever Ino and Sakura got in an argument I would cut it off once it went over its 3 minute limit. I would always stuff a piece of bacon in my pocket so that every morning I would be greeted by akamaru's cute little tackles. Im almost certain kiba knew my trick cause he asked me if I had ore bacon one time Iruka ended up pleased by this turn of events. Though naruto did end up in fights with kiba every now and then, yelling 'She's my best friend go find your own dog breath!'. He even sat through my Ballet practice every now and then if he wanted to get ramen after school. I forced him to participate. I actually enjoyed my time you know? It was bliss those years. But this world was just as dangerous as my last. If not more so. And those blissful years were only a break._

"I missed this outfit."

I mused, twisting around back and forth to get a better look at myself. Today was the day. I passed the exam and was getting assigned to a team, which meant I would actually start being able to move again. Just the thought of it made me my heart race. It felt nice to be doing something again, sitting around in the safety of the village unnerved me. Naruto hadn't passed. And I got pissed needless to say. I even yelled at Iruka that he was a dumbass who was making a dumb decision, which was a bit uncharacteristic of me considering I adopted a calm and sweet persona here. No, I didnt apologize because I wasn't sorry… ok he might not be a dumbass but I still think it was a dumb decision. It was an exact replica of my old Hashira outfit. Mitsuri and I both wore similar outfits except mine closed in the chest area , and my thigh highs were black and purple not green. The long part of my hair held up in the back with a bright red bow to blend in with the rest of my short hair. It took a lot of time to save up enough money to buy cloth was a close enough replica to my old uniform but it was definitely worth it. The only problem was , well, I didn't know where to headband at first. I tried everywhere before settling on having it be around my neck, even if it did look a bit frumpy. I hummed and straightened out my skirt, allowing myself to be childish for a moment and fiddle with it before calling Aiko to my shoulder and heading out the door. The walk to the academy was peaceful , my neighbors giving quick chirps of hello's and congrats. It was such a nice village here, so peaceful and tranquil it almost surprised me that they even had a use for ninja at all. When I reached the academy and made it inside I wasn't surprised to see ino and sakura fighting over going into the class. I chuckled a bit and watched the two finish their fight before slipping in after them.

"Tsuru! Woah! That's new!" Kiba whistled as I walked up to his seat. Akamaru barked happily as I leaned down and placed a smooch on the top of his head.

" I had it specially made, you don't want to know how much this cost me. The Fabric works well to protect against any blades, but not against my bank." I muttered bleekly at the dent in my account. I still had a lot of food in the fridge so it just meant no eating out for a while.

"Who cares how much it costs, I think it looks great." Kiba winked, reaching up and giving Aiko a light pat, who happily nuzzled closer into his hand at his affection. Before kiba and I's conversation could last that much longer a new, familiar voice chimed in, "Yeah Tsuru! You're putting the fashion back in ninja!" and once I saw who it was I immediately rushed to the bumble bee.

"Naruto! You did it! I'm so proud of you!" I gushed, wrapping my arms around him and squeeze him tight. Naruto's face turned bright red and he quickly hugged me back, a content look appearing on his face. "Y-yeah well, Iruka-sensei came to his senses and finally realized just how great of a Ninja I am and let me pass!" He exclaimed, a huge grin on his face while puffing out his chest. I pulled back, staring at him with a look that had '_Bullshit_' written all over it disguised with a blank smile. Instead of pressing him for how he really got accepted I gave a content sigh and ruffled his hair.

"Well, I always knew you had it in you Bumblebee."

I praised, though his gloating was short lived after Sakura trampled over him to sit next to Sasuke. Ah yes, Naruto's crush. Sakura was a sweet girl but I definitely did not approve of her for Naruto. She was far too rowdy. Naruto deserved a gentleness! I then looked to Sasuke. He looked hardly entertained with anything going on at the moment. He was an Orphan like Naruto and I, though my age group wasn't supposed to know. I found out by hearing some older women talking about it in the Library. It must be hard for him.

"Sasuke, I'm also very proud of you too, You both are going to be great Ninja." I smiled, Sasuke casting a glance to me before huffing and looking away. I chuckled, tutting my tongue and pushed Naruto's head down when he tried to get up, who was already beginning to grumble something about ignoring me. I easily slid over the desk, keeping my hand on Naruto's shoulder so that anytime a bout of annoyance washed over him I could just hold him down. It wasn't long before iruka-sensei walked in, to my relief. A look of pure pride on his face as he looked over us, fresh genin.

"Starting today, you are all real shinobi... But you are still genin. The hard journey that lies ahead has only just begun! Soon you will be completing missions to help out the village, so now you will create your three man teams, and each team will have a Jounin sensei! Make sure to follow you senseis instructions to successfully complete your missions. However, due to an uneven amount, one team will have four members. Your sensei has already been made aware of this. Now, to begin…"

We all waited anxiously for our name to be called, naruto being unable to not fidget in his seat was slowly beginning to make me nervous.

"Alright next is… Team Seven! Haruno Sakura!... Tanaka Tsuru!-" I glanced at the Pinkette who looked at me. If I read correctly, Teammates are like your family, and you end up working with them long after you becoming chunin and Jounin. She however, was still looking at Iruka with squinting eyes, as if trying to burn a whole in his skull. -"Uzumaki Naruto!-" Naruto jumped up, cheering with tears in his eyes, while Sakura's head hit the table with a loud 'thud!'. I swear I could even hear Ino cackling. -"Uchiha Sasuke!" Sakura and Naruto quickly switched and now Naruto was the one hitting his head on the desk. I sweated and lightly patted naruto's back to try and quell his moping but he only shot up and jabbed his finger at sasuke.

"Iruka-sensei! Why does an outstanding Shinobi like me, have to be on the same team as that prick over there!" He shouted, and I quickly lifted my hand away and shot kiba a 'help me' look. Iruka frowned, yelling right back at naruto.

"Sasuke's grades were the best in all 28 Graduates! Naruto. Yours were _dead last!_ See?! It's about balance." Sasuke scoffed at this, glaring at naruto for a moment before looking away.

"Just don't get in my way."

Once again I found myself shutting Naruto up so that the sensei could continue on with his instructions.

* * *

"Here you go Aiko." I cooed as I fed her a slice of a peach. Aiko chirped along happily as she nibbled on the peach slices. Currently we were the last team to be picked up by our sensei, he was pretty late. Naruto was already grumpy enough and by the looks of it was planning a prank.

"Naruto… what are you doing?" I asked as I watched the blond slide an eraser through the crack of the door. Naruto sent me a grin.

"It's what he gets for being late!" He cackled looking at Sakura, maybe to see if he impressed her but was sadly mistaken. She simply huffed and turned her nose away.'Im not part of it!'. Sasuke also looked not impressed.

"No jounin would fall for such a stupid booby trap." He snickered but I had to disagree. "I don't know, maybe it's so simple it'll be overlooked. You never know, right _sasuke-kun_?" I chirped in a sickeningly sweet voice, enjoying watching him flinch. Ha, those girls traumatized him. We all turned our attention to the door when we heard a soft 'thunk'. There stood a man with silver hair and a mask that covered his mouth with his headband covering his left eye so that all we could see was his right. He looked well built and tall, with a laid back air around him.

"Woah, he's hot!" I heard a voice in my ear say. I looked to the side to see who said that but all eyes were on me, and Aiko looked rather pleased with herself.

"Th…. That was my bird." I tried , my face a hot pink but the man only sighed and shook his head. "My first impression of you all?... I don't like you one bit."

We all sat on the roof, me with my head down in embarrassment, while the others staring at our new sensei. "Let's start off with a little introduction. State your name your likes, dislikes, … dreams for the future, stuff like that." He yawned, looking as disinterested as possible but jumped a bit when naruto pointed a finger at him.  
"Hey,Hey you introduce yourself first! You look hella sketchy ya know!" He declared, the man blinking and pointing at himself.

"Me first? Well, my name is Kakashi Hatake, i have a lot of likes and dislikes… my dreams for the future, hmm… I have a lot of hobbies as well… I think that's it. Anyway, let's start with you on the right" He declared, looking satisfied with himself even though all we learned was his name. Naruto wasted no time in beginning his turn.

"Alright! My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I like cup ramen! I like it even more when Iruka sensei buys it for me! Oh! Or when Tsuru-chan brings me lunch! I dislike the three minutes when I have to wait for the ramen to cool down. My dream for the future is to become the greatest Hokage! That way no one can look down on me anymore, and everyone has to respect me!... Oh and my hobbies are pranks I guess." I snickered a bit, happy that Naruto got to have a moment where he felt really cool about himself. Kakashi looked a bit more interested.

"Is this Tsuru girl your girlfriend?" He asked, and I almost choked on the air. Sakura reached over and patted my back, so that I didn't, ya know, die.

"As if Naruto could ever nab a girl like Tsuru! I already found my man now I gotta help her get hers!... actually I don't think she even has a crush on anyone." Sakura sounded a bit concerned with the last part. I think I was the only girl in the class besides Hinata who didn't like sasuke in that way, so Sakura liked me a lot more than most of the other girls. Though it worried her that I didn't like anyone. Naruto laughed at my choking until I punched his shoulder and sat up.

"Im Tanaka Tsuru. I enjoy Kenjutsu and studying, I like Origami the most. Um, I dislike it when others think they never need help, Oh and when my closet door creaks open at 3 am every night. I'm pretty sure im haunted. My dream for the future?... To fight each of the seven swordsmen of the mist and to die a death that will make them proud. . . And my Hobbies are Ballet." The only person who didn't look that too confused about my dream was Kakashi. I've been helping out at the library long enough to have gotten (stolen) access to more, upper rank books and scrolls and I learned about them. People don't really use swords that much in this world so when I read about these ninjas all I wanted to do was fight em some day. Naruto looked at me, I swear his eyes were sparkling.

"I didn't know that Tsuru-chan! That's so cool!... Who are the seven swordsmen?"

He asked after a moment. Before I could respond kakashi cleared his throat and nodded to sasuke. Sasuke looked relatively annoyed but answered anyway.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke, I have very few likes and dislikes. My dream for the future… No, the goal is to revive the uchiha clan, and kill a certain man. My hobbies are training I suppose." He said gruffly, He gaze transfixed on no one in particular. Naruto and Sakura had a look of horror on their faces while Kakashi remained indifferent.

"What type of girl do you have in mind for a wife?" My voice held pure childlike innocence but pure amusement shone in my eyes. Sasuke stared at me blankly for a few moments, and then his cheeks tinted a light pink the longer he thought about it.

"Well I… I would like a woman who can hold her own, doesn't need me to save her. Thinks for herself." He explained, scratching his cheek while avoiding everyone's gaze. Sakura however was hanging on every word he was saying. I smirked a bit and leaned a bit closer.

"Looks? Anything you prefer?" The more I pried the more annoyed he looked.

"Who gives a damn how they look? If I fall for her so be it." He huffed, feeding my amusement even more. I then looked to sakura and sent her a wink. You got this pinky! Kakashi cleared his throat to get our attention.

"We can all discuss our preferences in men and women later, for now let's all let Sakura have her turn ok?" Now all eyes were on sakura and boy was she sweating buckets. Maybe I shouldn't had asked Sasuke that question. Sakua gulped, wiping away any sweat began to bead at her forehead before beginning her answer.

"Im Sakura Haruno I-i like… I like… I Like long baths that when I come out I feel fresh and rejuvenated and I like even more to memorize all I can to become smarter! I dislike when I get an answer wrong! A-and my dream for the future is!… I don't have one yet.." Her shoulders slumped at this and I leaned over and patted her back encouragingly. Kakashi clapped his hands together, drawing Sakura's attention and pulling her out of her slump.

"Tomorrow we begin our team duties, though we'll be doing something with only the four of us… Survival training." The edge in his tone startled me, but went unnoticed by everyone else. Naruto pouted, dropping so that his head was leaning on my shoulder.

"Training? Why would we need to do that we did enough if it in the academy!" He grumbled, as I reached up , immediately beginning to pet his fluffy head. Kakashi, looked at us with a lazy eye before looking to the side and snickering villainously.

"This training is special, as I will be your opponent. Telling you this is probably just gonna scare you but… out of all 28 graduates only three teams will pass to become genin, the rest will be sent back to the academy. That means only ten or nine of you will pass. This survival training is your final exam which has a failure rate of 66%." He said gravely, an ill look crossing over naruto's face. He sprang up, worry seeping into his eyes and features. Once he stopped yelling I quickly brought him back down on my shoulder.

"What do you mean this is the final exam! What was the point of graduating then!" Nauto shouted, but kakashi only brushed him off.

"That was just to see who has the chance of becoming a genin. Anyways, the test will take place at 9am tomorrow at Training ground 3. Oh, and don't eat breakfast tomorrow. You might throw up."

His words hung in the air for a good moment or two before I turned to Naruto, who looked as if he saw a ghost.

"Wanna spend the night at my house tonight? I'll make dinner and we can leave in the morning and all." I smiled as I watched naruto brighten at this suggestion and frantically nod his head. I giggled and stood up, bowing my head to kakashi who seemed amused by my lack of fear. Naruto waved to both sakura and Kakashi (he gave sasuke a glare) and began to follow me. Natuto threw his hands behind his head picking up his pace until he walked beside me.

"So who are the seven swordsmen yeah? I don't remember Iruka-sensei teaching us anything about them?" He frowned, probably trying to rack his brain through all the previous lessons. I furrowed my eyebrows and smiled sheepishly.

"Naruto, you're usually asleep during history lessons so don't hurt yourself. I read about them in the library, don't tell anyone I did that though. They are these seven swordsmen from the village hidden in the mist who are known to be some of the seven greatest swordsmen, capable of bringing down an entire nation when together. Sword Users aret really that common in this world so I would really like to test my skills against those that do exist. The current seven swordsmen are Zabuza momochi, Kushimaru Kuriarare, Raiga Kurosuki, Jūzō Biwa, Jinin Akebino, Ameyuri Ringo, and Kisame Hoshigaki! Though some of those people are dead… I still wanna fight the ones still alive though!" I said, excitement flooding me, Naruto picking up my own excitement and beginning to jump up and down.

"Thats sounds super awesome! Alright, by the time Im Hokage you have to have beaten all of the Seven Swordsmen and become one yourself!" He shouted, drawing unwanted attention to us, mainly villagers annoyed with Naruto's yelling but I tried to not give them any attention.

"Naruto… You have to be a Mist ninja to become one of them silly. We're konoha ninja, so it wouldn't work." We climbed up the stairs of my apartment, naruto close behind me. I heard him huff and turned to see him cross his arms.

"Then you should make your own swordsman group! I bet no one could beat you and your breathing techniques!" He whispered the last part to me, defiance on his face showing he believed that notion with all his heart. Naruto did know about my breathing techniques, but I told him to keep it on the hush hush because, I didn't really know how to explain how I learned to use them. I couldn't say I learned them from my 'clan' (mainly because I haven't finished creating the fake documents for my fake clan to explain my paper thing.) I pulled out my keys and slid them into the lock, jingling with it for a moment before pushing the door open.

"I'm not really interested in that. I just want to fight them is all. Shinobi is unfamiliar to me. Fighting them is just… For the sake of familiarity I suppose." The lock clicked in as I shut the door behind me. Naruto didn't know of my past, it was more of him just brushing my words off as a weird way of speaking. I stopped at the door, leaning down and taking my shoes off to sit next to Naruto's shoes he had already kicked off to scramble into my home. Unlike Naruto's apartment, mine was far more neater and was a bit more furnished due to me being the librarians little couch was a cushiony black pullout that still looked fresh and had its bounce. Once I realized it would become a habit for naruto to stay over, I got that couch and a nice blanket and pillow and blanket that I stuffed in the closet when he wasn't over. In the window were a plethora of different plants. They were definitely not mine, I didn't have a green thumb whats so ever. They were Narutos that he brought over when I wasn't paying attention. He had this surprising knack for keeping them beautiful and healthy while I ended up killing a plant or few.

"What do you want for dinner- don't say ramen." I cut him off right before he could speak. Naruto pouted for qa moment before settling on Yakitori, a type of skewer food. I nodded, ruffling his hair as I passed by into the kitchen. I whistled as I began pulling out the meat and wooden sticks, hearing Naruto shuffling on the couch behind me.

"Hey Tsuru-chan?" I heard him call. I turned around, seeing his blond hair and blue eyes peek over the idea of the couch.

"Yeah?" I asked, and Naruto didn't respond for a moment and gave the brightest smile he could muster.

"Thanks!"


	3. Chapter 2: Bell test

He was late. It surprised me that he was but I wouldn't say I was nearly as annoyed as the rest of them. After about 3 hours Naruto had started running around claiming it as 'training' while I simply sat and watched him running around for my entertainment. After another hour Sakura had taken a seat next to me.

"Hey Tsuru-chan what product do you use for your hair?" She asked, her eyes sparkling at the sound of girltalk. I reached up and touched my hair, taking in mind of its softness.

"Well, I use a Vanilla shampoo and a Peach conditioner. Then I top it off with a peach hair cream and peach sheen spray and a vanilla lotion." I rambled twirling my hair with my finger as I did. I did enjoy all of the care products this place had, I was pretty much a junky when it came to them. Always practice self-care! Sakura gasped and pushed her back against the boulder.

"I use cucumber conditioners and a winter forest lotion. You like soft scents, huh?"

"Yep! And im guessing you're a fan of fresh scents?"

Are rambling of pampering and such went on until Sasuke finally seemed like he had enough of it.

"What does it matter how pretty you look or how you smell? Girls like you two shouldnt be a ninja…" He grumbled, apparently aggravated by it. Sakura flinched at this, chewing on the inside of her cheek. I on the other hand crossed my arms, a deep scowl on my face.

"Just because you like to look like a rat doesn't mean we have to. Us women are delicate creatures you know! We require extensive care."

I flipped my hair over my shoulder as I spoke, sasuke scrunching his nose. He looked as if I was explaining something in a completely different language.

"I do not- I never- No one gives a damn how you look. It's all unnecessary." He said hotly, but only earned a squint from me and surprisingly, Sakura.

"Don't you want to repopulate your clan or something? Shouldn't you be more well versed in women if you wanna do that. Woman might be entranced by looks but its your words that can drive them away you know?" I scolded, tossing a pebble at his shoulder. He dodged it of course but wasn't really able to dodge my comment, his cheeks flushed an embarrassed pink. It's not like I was wrong. Sure, Sasuke could make a girl swoon by just looking at them but they ever tried to genuinely, and I mean genuinely talk to him, they would see how utterly socially awkward he is. Sasuke can, relatively, hold a conversation with another boy because it could be filled with taunts and banter but, rat boy didn't have a clue how girls worked.

I tutted my tongue and shook my head.

"Sakura-Chan it looks like we'll have to teach him the ways of women! He's a lost cause without us!" I sighed dramatically, letting my body drop against her chest. Sakura looked panicked , her hands waving a bit as if to disagree with me.

"I'm sure sasuke is amazing with-!"

"He's probably never used a hair mask."

"You've never used a Hair mask!?" Sakura gasped , pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke. It was quite enjoyable to watch, as I think it was the first time she ever said something without worrying what he would think. It was also amusing because Naruto also yelled the same thing she did. Sasuke was beyond annoyed, it practically radiating off him in waves as he probably thought about why he even said anything in the first place.

"Naruto, _You_ do Hair masks?" Sakura as incredulously, utter surprise in her features. I snuggled the back of my head against Sakura's chest to get comfy. It was no Mitsuri level comfort but it would suffice.

Nauto nodded, walking over and plopping down next to Sakura and I.

"Yeah! Whenever Im over at Tsuru's house and it's her 'spa' day she always makes me do it too!" He exclaimed, patting his cheeks. Sakura looked baffled and turned her eyes to me, who was giving her a cheeky smile. Naruto and I do almost everything together so I don't see why she was surprised. It would be rare to see us not together, with his insistence on joining me when I go shopping or anything really. Naruto , after sticking his tongue out at sasuke laid back with his head finding a pillow of my lap. A look of disdain shot across Sakura's features but she quickly buried it down and went back to gossiping quietly with me as the hours passed by.

Once kakashi did finally arrive it was safe to say we were all visibly annoyed, and judging by our first encounter with the man, this was a habit of his. While Kakashi explained 'The bell test' I hardly heard what he was saying once after he mentioned only the two who got the bells would pass. Only two of us? Well, how on earth was that fair! At least during the selection exam there was an equal amount of 'bells' for everyone, even if it was far more lethal. Besides, It wouldn't make sense. Iruka gave a whole speech on how 'Three man and Up' teams are important, it would be more fitting if it were three bells to boot one of us off and make an even team. Unless…

"I got it!" I exclaimed, a giddy smile on my face. Naruto stumbled on his feet, a kunai in his hand and startled by my sudden excitement. Oh, was he doing something? All eyes were on me as I swayed side to side, proud of myself for figuring it out.

"You want us to work in units of two right?" I grinned at Kakashi. Kakashi stared at me for a moment , trying to gather his thoughts to a construct and eloquent sentence to rival my own and settle on-

"Huh?" So pristine.

"You want us to work in units of two! On regular missions teams are considered a unit, making up one Jam packed powerful ninja body! The Captains the head and everyone makes up a very necessary body part. If its a Two-Man group it would be "Head and Tail." So… In a metaphorical sense it's one person! So if we're units of two and each person gets a bell, we all pass!" I cheered while throwing my hands up, My eyes sparkling. Kakashi might be smart but he isn't that smart! That time he left us must have been for us to bond to figure it out easier right? Naruto stared at me, his kuni hanging limply in his hand.

"The last time I saw you this excited was when the food market was having a morning sale and you almost wasted all your money on everything, ya know?" He deadpanned, causing me to flinch at the bluntness of his words. Naruto and I were very… Money Savvy, we were good at saving. Until one of our 'weaknesses showed up'. Naruto's was ramen and anything plant related. Mine was Body care products and Sales. We took turns dragging each other away.

"We ate good that month didn't we?"

"Tsu-Chan t-that isn't the point!" He tried and I stuffed his head under my arm.

"Anyway Sensei! Am I right or Am I right?" I chirped, unaffected by naruto's struggling. Sakura, reached her hand out to maybe help Naruto but decided against it. Kakashi stayed silent for a bit. He leaned back, gazing lazily up at the sky for a moment before looking back at us for and shrugging nonchalantly.

"Caught me Red handed. So who's your head and whos your tails?" He cocked his head, Curiosity sparking in his eyes. He tried to hide it but he demenor just oozed interest. Sasuke turned to me, tilting his chin up a bit to get my attention.

"I'll be head , You be Tails." It flattered me that Sasuke thought I the most capable to be on a team with him, but it probably because Sakura annoyed him and Naruto had no redeeming qualities in Sasuke's eyes. Finally I let Naruto go, My excited grin dropping as I turned to Kakashi

"Sensei. I request you to give us a 10 minute head start, no where in hearing distance. On a real mission they have time in village to plan before adjusting to whatever circumstance the team is placed in. I request you to give us that. I will know if you aren't far enough away. You're heart is rather loud." I smiled, tapping my ear. Kakashi looked visibly unsettled before suddenly disappearing from my vision. Wow, he's fast. I didn't start talking however until He was out of my earshot.

"Ok," I turned to the three of them. "Sasuke was correct, You and I are a team. However you aren't the head-" I began and was immediately met with discourse from the rest of the team. Oh god. Naruto was mad I chose Sakura over him, Sakura was mad I chose Sasuke in general, and Sasuke was mad because he wasn't head. I groaned and scowled at them.

"Listen dumb dumbs, theres a reason. Sakura and I are the heads of the team because we have a far more excelled thinking process. Naruto, You don't fit head and you wouldn't like it anyways. You like the brawling part. Sasuke, You're smart and quick thinking. But you also disregard others and try to do everything on your own. You both are fighting to prove yourself which makes you worthless as head." I explained, Naruto and Sasuke both marching an embarrassed and annoyed look. Sakura however looked horrified.

"Hold on, Does that… Make Naruto my tail!" She screamed to which I nodded.

"Correct you are. Right now, I've paired us into teams that would work Best together. Truthfully, I work best with Naruto as my teammate. We've always worked together so we're used to each other and wouldn't be surprised by any move we make. However, That would leave You and Sasuke together. Sakura, He wouldn't listen to you and you would let him not listen to you. You would be soft with him. With Naruto, Your resolve would be far stronger and Naruto would trust you. For right now, These units are best for our team if we wanna win." Throughout my speech the three of them straightened a bit as if accepting my words and instructions. Sasuke locked his steel gaze onto mine.

"Alright then. What's the plan?"

* * *

_Scarecrow_

* * *

I checked the clock on the stone. The ten minutes were up, time to see what these kids have come up with if they came up with anything. My body groaned in protest as I stood from my comfortable spot under the tree that now had a kakashi sized dent in the grass. I scrunched my nose. Being given the job of Brat duty actually had me missing ANBU , what kind of shit is that? My trek back to the Brats was slow enough to give them just a little more time to maybe plan something. Hey, here's to hoping. Even if it was the smallest bit of hope. They were cute kids, Sure, but each of them was some kind of messed up in the head.

Sure so was I, but that's not the point.

The only ones that seemed normal was Sakura and Naruto. And that's because their dreams were basic things. _'I don't know yet' 'I want to be Hokage'_. Basic things. Though judging by the way the Sandaime let Naruto be raised it was a bit interesting how that dream came to be. If anything I would have guessed that ended up Batshit and would wanna kill everyone. Given the Kyuubi and everything. Instead he wants to be Hokage… He really is your kid huh, Minato?

Then there's the other two. Sasuke and Tsuru. Sasuke was murderous. Tsuru was creepy. Sasuke's dream made sense despite how bloody it seemed. His family was murdered in front of him by the one he trusted more than anything, and that kind of betrayal fucks with you. Bad. Tsuru wanted to die a Proud death. Hearing that come out of a kids mouth sent chills down my spine. To think I almost forgot how aware some kids are. Besides that she said she could hear my heart, and I don't have any damn clue what rabbit eyes meant by that. Maybe a metaphor.

I sighed, rolling my shoulders back and relaxed as my back popped. I had to give it to her. Tsuru was smart. Her deduction wasn't exactly on the mark with the bell test being meant to teach the rookies teamwork and to see if they would abandon their friends for success. But the way she interpretar off. I'll figure out a way to see if they were worth passing, while also seeing what they came up with. It was disheartening to think that not a single other team came up with the idea of a unit, so maybe they would be- I stopped mid step at the sound of shouting. Were they-

"You're just trying to steal sasuke-kun from me! Damn floozy!" Sakura yelled, Jabbing an accusing finger at Tsuru's chest who looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel.

"I couldn't give two shits about your 'precious' sasuke! Maybe if you weren't always thinking about boys you'd be competent!" The blond girl snarled. I whistled lowly to myself. So Rabbit Eyes does curse! She'd actually be kind of scary if I didn't see a bunny whenever I looked at her.

Naruto held Sakura back as the pinkette lunged at Tsuru while Tsuru looked like she wished Naruto hadn't. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"My team is full of morons- I'll take on Kakashi on my own." He hissed, Turning to walk away when Naruto suddenly let go of Sakura to turn to Sasuke with Fumes spouting from his ears. Minato's Looks, Kushina's Personality.

"Who you calling useless bastard!" Sasuke stopped in his tracks, Glancing at Naruto over his shoulder. "Who do you think?"

It was chaos, I was even a little surprised. Rabbit eyes looked so sure of herself and yet here she was half a moment away from pummeling another girl. Judging by her Taijutsu scores she probably could. I took a step forward to get a better look, yet when I did Tsuru went rigid. Her head whipped to my direction and immediately back to Naruto in two seconds. Headache.

"Shit! Kakashi's here, Naruto hide!" She yelped, the girl quickly zipping away from the clearing. Naruto would have Listened had it not been for Sasuke's taunting.

"You heard her, Run along scaredy cat." His smirk growing as Naruto's annoyance. "I'm not ever gonna run! Come on out loser-sensei! I'm gonna kick your ass!" Naruto yelled, practically bouncing with every word. My shoulders sagged as all feelings of hope I once had for this team crumble and die. Well, it was nice while it lasted.

I stepped out into the Clearing, Staring lazily at Naruto and Sasuke. I wasn't too sure if they would actually fight me, or if they would just turn around and pummel each other. Behind Sasuke was Sakura. She looked down right frightened as she stared at me, like I was a monster or something.

"Y-you can do it Sasuke-kun!" She squeaked, Trying to hide more behind him. Sasuke grimanced, shoving her off of him and to the ground. Sakura's face dropped as her body hit the floor. I had to hold myself back from the urge to help her. Regret bloomed and the girl whimpered softly, gripping her elbow and fixing her gaze on the ground. "Don't get in my way." He snapped, whipping out different kunai and shuriken. Really Obito? This is the last of your clan and his favorite hobbing is knocking girls over? Shameful.

"Maa… You shouldn't push a lady, how will you ever get a girlfriend?" I drawled , the annoyance that passed over the egotistical brat bringing me a small sliver of joy. It didn't last. Naruto rushed to Sakura's side in an instant , my eyes training on the two and to my surprise she didn't swat him away. _'Kushina and Minato would've been proud of his manners.'_ Its was no question where he got them from. Tsuru was a well mannered little girl growing up, at least from what he heard from the Hokage.

"You ok Sakura-Chan!" He asked frantically, shaking her which probably did more harm than good. I fought down a smile at the scene which evolved into Sakura clocking him on the head.

"That hurts more idiot!" She yelled at the whimpering blonde. Naruto rubbed a bump on his head before springing up and pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke. Are they actually…?

"That's it you bastard! You're gonna pay for pushing sakura-chan ya hear me 'ttebayo!?"

"Pff, Have it your way. I'll deal with you first and then get those bells!"

I hate kids.

If anyone ever asks why I haven't settled down and had some kids of my own I'll be sure to present these two as my core evidence. Naruto and Sasuke scuffled with each other, the uchiha brat relying more of skill and the blondie on his sheer will-power. Why, oh _why_ does the Sandaime continue to give me this position? It was fucking pointless. This kids couldn't- they won't use common sense- They weren't!- I flinched at my own thoughts.

They weren't _them._ How horrible of a thought is that. Comparing them. I should end this quickly. I shunshin'd to Sakura, Crouching down over the Pinkette who only flinched at my touch.

"Where does it hurt?" I sighed. If this girl was seriously going to be taken down by a simple elbow scratch it a fuckin wonder how she managed to pass the Academy. I can practically hear Anko screaming for the cherry pop to stop 'bitchin and whining'. That woman has issues though.

Sakura whimpered, her lower lip jutting out in a pout as she showed me her 'injury'.

"I-its ok! I just… Got in sasuke kun's way… is all.." She whispered, tears gathering in her eyes that was obviously _not_ from the scratch. Girls have it rough. Boys at that age aren't really… well… _you know. _I patted Sakura's head, hoping it would work a good enough form of comfort. Her eyes flicked up to me expectantly, shining with bubbled tears.

"Uh, Sakura. You shouldn't really worry about boys. Boys are… uh, more battle oriented at this time and don't… really, um, understand the… pleasures? A woman can provide."

Holy shit that came out wrong. That has to be the worst thing I've ever said to an Academy Student. And ive let some _very_ bad things slip. Even Sakura looked a bit taken aback at what I said. Kami, Never repeat that to anyone.

"Uh, _thanks_… Sensei! Y-you really know how to cheer me up 'ttebayo!"

She said awkwardly, reaching forward and hugging me. I returned the hug just as awkwardly, patting her back slowly. This is my second reason I never have kids, I'll say some weird shit trying to cheer- 'ttebayo? My hand ran over something that crinkled on her back. I yanked Sakura away, ignoring her squeaky protest whilst turning her around. I froze for a moment in horror, my eyes wide. On her back was a paper Bomb.

"Shit!-"

"_Boom~"_

* * *

_You_

* * *

The clone exploded , pushing back Naruto and Sasuke who were already prepared for its kick-back. The two watched expectantly for the fire to clear yet it seemed someone had other plans.

_'Sasuke, Use Katon to increase the flames.'_

Said Tsuru on the other line of the paper. On each of their cheeks were a piece of paper though you wouldn't see it with normal eyes. The paper perfectly matched the skin tone and was thin enough to not age a noticeable change. Tsuru used them as communication she explained earlier. The paper infused with her chakra allowed them all to communicate as if they were walkie talkies. You simply tap it and infuse a little bit of chakra and you could talk to the other no matter how far you were. It did creep him out that the paper came from her body however…

Sasuke wasted no time, his hands a flurry of _boar, horse, _and finally _tiger _before bringing his hands to his lips.

_"Fire style: Fire Ball Jutsu!"_

The flames that licked at his lips shot out, creating an even bigger fire than the explosion produced. Naruto yelped, taking a step back at its destruction. '_Sorry, grass_' He thought, looking at Sasuke when he finally stopped the jutsu.

"You don't think we killed him right? That would be really _really_ bad 'ttebayo…"

He winced, coughing from the smoke of the fire that wafted towards them. Sasuke remained unaffected. Did anything _ever_ affect him?

"Of course not. He's a jonin dumbass, he wouldn't be killed by some fresh out the academy Genin. I'd be severely worried if that was all it took to take him down." He drawled, his body still tense as he waited for the fire to disperse and see their results.

"Good thing I'm a Jonin then."

Sasuke Immediately froze , His head whipping to find Kakashi directly behind Naruto who was frozen in shock.

"MOVE DUMBASS!" He shouted, however his warning fell deaf on Naruto's ears as a Kuni was quickly pressed against his throat. Sasuke felt sick. How could Kakashi still move that fast even after all that! He should at least be breathing funny from the smoke but here he was without even breaking a sweat!

"Sasuke, Surrender or I kill Naruto. It was a good plan you two, I'll give you that but you shouldn't have waited around like that. You should have made _certain_ I was dead." Kakashi's voice was tight and his eyes sharp. You would never be able to tell he was fighting off the urge to cough at the moment. He was far too petty to give them that satisfaction. Sasuke grinded his teeth together as he stared hatefully at Orange dumbass who got himself caught. Well, he was, until said dumbass gave him a very awkward wink.

"Don't do it Sasuke! You gotta win, Who cares if I go 'poof'!" Naruto yelled, struggling with his encouragement as Kakashi held him in place with a disgruntled expression. Sasuke now kind of wanted Naruto to get stabbed. Naruto encouraging him was way too uncomfortable and unnerving for him to deal with. What kind of dumbass refers to death as going poof?-

Sasuke whipped out a barrage of kunai and shuriken on the two, a grin splitting onto his face. Kakashi's was once again dumbfounded. _'Do they really hate each other that much?! What the hell!'_ Kakashi tried to move Naruto out of the way only for Naruto to grip his sensei's arms and plant his feet harshly on the ground.

"Wh-wha-!"

Naruro grinned up at his sputtering sensei as he disappeared in a poof when a kuni hit him. _'A fucking clone?! When did he do that?!' _Kakashi quickly substituted with a log, allowing the broken tree piece to become mutilated instead of him. He landed away from Sasuke, shooting a glare at the smug Uchiha. Next to him the real Naruto stood, a cheeky grin on his face that made Kakashi want to hold water for a prolonged period of time. The two genin gave Kakashi no time to speak as they rushed at him, no kuni in hand, just their good intentions.

"Don't let your luck run out, morons." He grumbled, preparing for hand to hand combat when he heard a whistle. The air shifted a bit. Kakashi whipped his head up, coming eye to eye with Sakura as she dropped down from the tree above him, he leg prepared in an axe kick. He caught her leg right before it collided with his shoulder and was about to throw her off when she twisted, planting her other foot on his chest while her hand latched onto his so that she was held in place. Still, Naruto and Sasuke ran at him, yet their focus wasn't him at all. They were low to the ground, as if aiming at his legs-

_"Don't let your luck run out sensei."_

Something swept through him, from hip to hip. A blade, yet he wasn't cut. All he heard was the faint tear or fabric and ring of bells as they were suddenly cut from his hip, _and caught in the hands of Naruto and Sasuke_. And then they were all away from him. Kakashi was stunned. Fucking. Stunned. A huge grin was on the Face or Naruto and Sakura at their victory, hell, even sasuke looked rather pleased with himself, a smirk playing on his lips. Kakashi's eye finally fell on Tsuru. She didn't look… Happy. In her hand was a hot pink blade that seemed to burn under the sun, it a near copy of her eyes. Her lips were pressed in a thin line and her gaze was locked on her blade, almost like she was glaring at it, her face one of pure utter annoyance. Her expression only changed when Sasuke, handed her the bell, it chiming softly in the air. Sasuke smirked at her, Tsuru surprised by his actions.

"Hear you go Head." His tone betrayed his cool features as his genuine excitement for obtaining the bell seeped into his voice. Tsuru blinked once, twice, three times before smiling at him and swiping the bell.

"Thanks Tail." She cooed, rolling the bell between her finger and thumb before shooting a look to Sakura who was also now holding a bell. The two girls grinned and thrusted their arms forward , the bells ringing in offering to Kakashi who was still a little dumbfounded.

"We-"

"Win!"

The two girls said, the grins matching the fire in their eyes. Kakashi was silent for a moment. He stared at them until slowly making his way to the ground and gripping the bridge of his nose.

"...How?"

Was all he asked and it only made Tsuru's grin widen. She skipped happily up to Kakashi, crouching down and handing him the bell.

"It was simple Hatake-San! We all have a reputation and I'm almost certain you've read our files from the Hokage and Iruka. We simply _played _into them. Naruto's , the dumb and easily provoked failure. Sakura, the squeaky girly fangirl who only cares about Sasuke's attention. Sasuke, Cold brooding bad boy who thinks no one can match him. And me, The mother hen who only worries for Naruto. You thought you had us down to the nail, so we played down to the nail." Tsuru purred, Finally allowing herself to revel in the pride of her plan actually working. Sakura, not wanting to be left out quickly cut in.

"We knew you'd be expecting us to argue so we did! But, The me there was a clone with an explosive tag. We were mainly hoping you would feel bad and help me up. " She chirped, pride obviously blossoming in chest but was cut off by innocent… innocent Naruto.

"Sensei, what did you mean by the pleasures of a woman?"

It went quiet. Thankfully Naruto was not alone in his confusion as Sasuke _also_ stared at Kakashi curiously. Sakura and Tsuru however, hwr a different story. Sakura was already given the… _Talk_ by her parents and and Well, Tsuru was im a technical sense, nearly 32 years old give or take which inevitably made her the oldest person there. And well, Her and Sanemi use to be pretty… _Active_. A melancholy look crossed her face. '_Why couldn't I just pass on? I'm stuck in a 12 year old body where I can have- Wrong time.'_ Tsuru and Sakura both took a step… a few steps back.

"Perv." They said in unison. Kakashi groaned and put his head in his hands. "That's not what I meant!" Naruto and Sasuke were still confused. Tsuru shook herself out of her surprise and turned to Sakura.

"I don't recall us going over Naruto being a clone…" She trailed off, her eyebrow quirked at the Pinkette, all eyes falling on her which made blood rush to her face. Sasukes looking!

"H-he wasn't at first! I just thought maybe it would be a good idea with him to… be prepared! So I told him to make a clone when the explosion happened!... So t-that Sasuke wouldn't get em, caught in a… Sticky situ… ation…" Her voice becoming softer as she spoke, before shooting a hopeful look in the direction of the uchiha. His face was!... Bored. Sakura's hopes came crashing down. Tsuru, smiled a bit however. While Sasuke had the best poker face in the world, his heart fluttered in Surprise. Tsuru grinned, slapping him hard on the back with a soft growl,

"_Say 'thank you'."_

"Thank You!" He grunted, Sakura's face lit up with joy, to Naruto's dismay.

"Yeah Sakura! That was a super awesome idea i'm glad your my head 'ttebayo!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up at her praise, and to his astonishment Sakura grinned embarrassedly at him.

"Thanks Naruto! I can be pretty amazing when I want!" Sakura flipped her hair over her shoulder, as all the praise started to go to her head.

"And then, " Kakashi muttered, beginning to put it all together, "Sasuke and Naruto ran forward to catch the bells , which I would mistake as an attack. Sakura would hold me in place and Tsuru would cut the bells. Am I right?" He asked, looking up at the four who immediately nodded at his question. Kakashi frowned.

"That plan was based purely on luck." He grumbled ,glaring at Tsuru who was the damn Mastermind behind the whole plan. Damn rabbit eyes. Tsuru however accepted his glare with a smile, relishing in his annoyance.

"Precisely. I wanted us to…" she walked around Kakashi, tapping a finger to her chin with her other hand dancing across his shoulders in a playful manner, ". . .'Greet' you with a message saying- 'Expect the Unexpected'." She smiled, he delighted skip making its way back to Naruro. Tsuru was way too pleased with herself. It wasn't her fault honestly. She hasn't used her sword on someone in so long it felt… wrong almost. Like she wasn't herself. Tsuru was meant to fight, it was a part of her now whether she liked it or not.

Kakashi raised his hand.

"One last question." He sighed, his shoulders sagging in defeat. "How did you do that with your sword?"

This was met with silence, a grimace making its way onto Tsuru's face. She almost seemed… Hesitant to answer, so Naruto took over.

"Er… Tsu-chan has a… Kekkei Genkai with paper. She can turn her whole body and clothes into paper and stuff and it's super cool! She gave us these paper talkies so we can talk to each other when we're far away 'ttebayo She usually keeps her sword inside her and- what's wrong tsu-chan?" His eyes sparkled as he spoke about her, waving his hands around wildly as he explained, a look of adornment in Tsuru's eyes as she watched him. When he noticed Naruto looked at her, His big blue eyes sparkling innocently. Tsuru smiled, reaching up and gently petting his head, Naruto smiling happily at her affection.

"It's nothing… Just I wasnt entirely… Certain I could keep the blade paper _perfectly _when I went to cut him." She said quietly, still pampering Naruto while everyone else let that sink in. Which means…

"Tsuru."

"Y-yes sensei?"

"Did you almost cut me in half?"

". . .m-maybe sensei?"

Now they were all staring at the pink eyed girl in downright horror as she had the nerve to grin sheepishly. Kakashi groaned, running his hands over his face as he suddenly felt a lot more tired and older than he should. _'Minato you must be laughing at me from the heavens huh? Was I this bad when I was a genin? Kami… '_

"That's officially the last time I ever hold back on you three… Tomorrow after our first mission we're going over what everyone can do so I don't get anymore surprises!" He instructed, clapping his hands together to bring their attention. The three genin, Now students of Kakashi Hatake took only a few moments to process this declaration before immediately breaking into shouts of joy. Naruto tackled both Sakura and Tsuru, laughing joyously with his new Teammates and Tsuru was definitely not one to kill hiz buzz. However, she did notice their favorite brooding members heart spike in jealousy. With little difficulty, she slipped out of Naruto's hug and and walked up to Sasuke, whos heart now rang in suspicion.

"Sasuke-san." She purred her tone only ringing every alarm bell in his head.

"No-"

"Give me a hug."

"No!" Now you may be wondering why he seemed so panicked. However this was not the first time Tsuru had forced him into a hug. And god this wouldn't be the last! He turned to run only to be enveloped in warm comforting arms. Was she shorter than him? Yes. Did they both have matching scores in Taijutsu? Yes. Did she slightly frighten him?... Yes. Tsuru hummed, nuzzly her face against Sasuke's shoulder who's entire body cringed at the affection. He remained like a frozen doll the whole time until finally she pulled back, the annoyed squawks of Naruto falling deaf on their ears. Tsuru rested her hands on his shoulders, staring at Sasuke with a pride in her eyes he couldn't understand.

"Sasuke, Congratulations on becoming a Ninja. I'm proud of you."

And while he face wouldn't show it, Tsuru's smile only widened when she heard the flutter of joy ring in his heart.

* * *

**A/N: Hi everyone! Im so sorry for how long it took for this chapter to come out ive just been having a ... Love/hate relationship with this chapter. Seriously I had to rewrite it completely because I didn't like the first one. Theres a completely different verison of this chapter! Like ****_completely different. _****I was also working the story and I was more excited for later chapters than I was this one that I uh... didnt wanna write this one ahaha- Anyhow! I do hope you liked the chapter, please leave a review (1 review would make my whole day :') )) And I hopw this chapter made yours! If this story managed to get a couple peoples interest Ill start adding little questions about the story at the bottom! Alright, bye everyone, I hope you have a lovely day!**


	4. Chapter 3: Just a moment

_His hands were warm. Out of absolutely everything I remember, I remember how utterly warm his hands were. They were calloused and scarred, rough as they cupped my cheeks and held me so close it felt like the moon could never touch me. The scars I traced led up to his arms, to his chest, to his face. To his beautiful, beautiful face. Oh how handsome he was. How gentle. _

_"Peaches…" His breath tickling my skin as we would drift off into a blissful dream and forget the horror's the moon brought. We were each other's dreams. His head rested on my stomach as we slept, well, as he slept. I couldn't sleep that night, no something felt wrong. Horribly Horribly wrong. Yet I didn't tell him of that gut feeling. I thought it would be fine if I let it be, and just… just let __**us**_ _be._

_"M__**U**__Z__**A**__N! __**M**__U__**Z**__A__**N **__A__**T**_ _T__**H**__E __**U**__B__**U**__Y__**A**__S__**H**__I__**K**__I __**M**__A__**N**__S__**I**__O__**N!"**_

_Akio and Sora frantic squawks snapped us out of our serenity and for a moment we didn't move. Then the next moments were a flurry of us rushing to pull on our uniforms, The only sounds being our clothes and Sanemi's panicked muttering, while I did my best to stay calm for him; the both of us. My head snapped in his direction when his sword clattered to the ground and a flurry of curses left his lips. He didn't give me a moment to speak as he swiped the sword back into his grip and grabbed my wrist, us flying into the night. Our legs pushed against the ground, me taking the lead due to my speed overlapping his. _

_"We'll make it Sanemi!" My voice carried over the wind that slapped against our face, though it only barely reached him. We both knew I didn't know shit. He pressed his lips into a thin line, hardening his gaze at the tree's in front of us._

_"Peaches-"_

_"We'll. Get. There!" I said through my teeth, my neck straining to look at him but I willed it not to. Sanemi said nothing, instead he slipped his hand into mine run a breakneck speed towards a mansion that only minutes later went up in flames.._

I didn't wake up in a panic at the dream. I don't do that anymore, Not after I've come to terms with them just being memories. Besides, it was the only time I ever got to see _him_ anymore. In dreams his face was so vivid. His smile… His .. Laugh. His Voice, His scent, His _touch. _ God, How i've missed his touch. Hell I miss being an adult. I mean, Technically, I am an adult. As a ninja you get all the rights that come with being an adult. Except Im stuck in a 12 year old body that is way too small for my liking!... Yes it's only a few inches shorter than how tall I'll actually get but thats not the point here. I miss being able to look at guys without them patting me on the head like a kid! The only guys i'm surrounded by are kids! I cant wait till I fill out again. For now my only eye candy is Kakashi and that wasnt as easy as it seemed to look. Especially considering how nosy the man is.

* * *

"_A Kekkei Genkai."_

"_Yes Hatake-san!"_

"_.And how do you know its a kekkei genkai?"_

"_I know because-" I froze. Ohhhhh shit! Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! I never thought of that explanation. How in the hell __**would**_ _I know it's kekkei genkai? I was some orphan and I barely remember my first 7 years here. So I did the best I could do. I stared at him. And he stared back. And I stared at him. And he stared back…. And I stared back."Tsuru, that isn't answering my question. You're my student, which makes you my responsibility, which also means I need to know what you're capable of." Kakashi was just being nosy. If not he wouldn't have waited until the other three had left to ask. Sneaky devil. Should have chopped him in half when I had the chance, maybe then I wouldn't have to do this crappy improv- OW! My head jerked back as Kakashi's finger flicked my forehead. My hands flew up, covering my forehead from any more potential assault. Despite his face mostly being covered he sure did showcase amusement well; I swear he was smirking under his mask._

_"Don't give me that look, I'm not bending your arm. You turned your sword to pape right? And if I remember correctly, Naruto said you can turn your whole body into paper?" Let me state that we were a good month into team seven and if anything im almost a little surprised it took him this long to corner me. If some short kid with a sword that appeared out of nowhere every now and then said she almost cut me in half for a damn bell I would've fought her. Then again, he might have just been giving it some time for us to, I don't know, get to know each other before he asked any prying questions. The expectant look on his face only spiked my annoyance, like he knew I would somehow have to tell him. That's shitty. I frowned, crossing my arms behind my back as I looked to Kakashi._

"_No offense Hatake-San, but I don't trust you. You've given us little to no information about who you are or what you stand for. Yes you are meant to be my sensei and me the student but I feel in this world it matters there be a personal connection between the two. One day we'll be on a mission that could end with my life being lost. Id feel a lot better if I knew who the man who's supposed to be leading me was." I didn't mean to be rude to him. No,on the contrary I was just being honest. As a pillar I knew most of the other pillars situations, lives. Of course that was partially due to me being a medic with Shinobu; Delirious patients tend to spill more than they should. Kakashi and I weren't friends. At least not yet._

_Kakashi stared at me, his expression unreadable, hell for a few moments I swore I couldn't even hear his heart. The shivering silence held for just a few moments before it fluttered back to life, his hand lightly landing on my head. _

_"...Act like a kid for once huh?" His hand lightly ruffled my hair, smiling down at me. A part of me wondered if that smile was real._

* * *

It took me a while to finally get up after that dream; somehow it only made me more tired. When I did move it was more a repeated motion until I was clean, dressed, and eating breakfast in a dimly lit kitchen, Akio quietly picking at her own omelet.

"...12 years of training Akio, all to be back in the action. . . You know I found it almost strange that they have a school for it here. Efficient don't you think?" Of course Akio didnt respond, no she was having more fun pecking apart her egg and cheese. I tilted my head, watching as the cheese hung from her beak. "Think we'll do something fun today? I bet it'll be boring, like finding a cat or something huh?"

"Does anyone have eyes on the target?"

"...Me 'ttebayo! I'm going in..!"

"Naruto- wait- WAit for us!"

The majority of all team 7 leapt forward, their hands outstretched to finally catch the terrible culprit that they had been chasing which had been!... A cat. Did _I _lunge to grab the cat? No. Why? Oh ho ho ho, because if I have to do one more chore that others are too _lazy_ to do for themselves that they need literal ninja to do I'm going to burst my lid! The three of them cheered happily at their success- well mainly Sakura did. Sasuke looked bored out of his mind and Naruto was-... Good heavens give me that cat. I swiped the cat from naruto (Before it could add anymore whiskers to his face) and cradled it in my arms. For a moment I was actually glad Akio wasn't here, otherwise the damn bird would probably attack the stupid- Tora? I think that was the cats name, I wasn't paying attention when Lord Third was speaking. Kakashi sighed, walking over to us (stepping over Naruto that was still cupping his face) and pulled off the piece of paper on his mask.

"Good Job team, now lets head back for a report. Im sure Madam Shijimi misses tora dearly… Someone help naruto."

Well dearly surely was the word. Poor thing was practically being suffocated by the woman. I held my arms behind my back, keeping my back straight as I stood in front of the hokage. Hey, just cause I was most likely tuning him didn't mean I didn't mean I didn't need to _look_ professional. Besides, I was actually listening right now!...Kinda... Mainly because of money but that is besides the point. My eyes shifted to Iruka who was sitting right by lord third. Why was he here? Iruka was just a chunin, and wasn't class for the academy kids today? Unless they got some random break it was a little confusing as to why he was in here… Maybe cause Naruto finished a mission? Now that I think about it those two havent really talked in a while-

"Tsuru stop dozing off." Iruka's voice cut my thoughts to a strip, the whole room going quiet. For a few moments Iruka was staring at me, A sly smile on his face while everyone else went silent. I held my gaze with him , squinting my eyes to try and beat his stupid grin. Hokage-Sama looked a little confused, looking in between the both of us for a good moment or two. ". . .Iruka im pretty sure she was paying attention-" Iruka however cut him off, shaking his head with a stupid fox like laugh. "Oh no, She was completely thinking of something else! After 5 years of being her teacher I know that look," now Kakashi and Hokage-Sama were looking at me, and I was squinting even more, "for example, Tsuru, what did Hokage-Sama just say?" Oh that's just being an asshole. Naruto looked up at me, a look of 'you've been had' on his face. Of course he knows when I'm not paying attention either! What even are my tics! Screw the both of them!

"...tch." I turned my face away from him, glaring at the wall (who am I kidding, it was a pout) rather than face the laughter he broke into. Sadly, my pout was cut short by a brightly colored child leaping onto me screaming- "DON'T DO IT TSU-CHAN, DON'T BECOME LIKE SASU-TEME 'TTEBAYO!" He howled, shaking me as if I was going insane or something. Hell I probably will considering how violently he's shaking me! Why were there three Naruto's? Oh good, three Kakashi's are plucking him off. Thank you Kakashi Trio, Your service is greatly appreciated. "Well then, now that we're all paying attention lets go over your next mission shall we? ….Ah! Here we are! Babysitting an Elder's grandson, picking weeds for 's garden…" All I heard from Hokage was that he wanted to get kicked in the head. Because those 'missions' sounded a _lot_ like _'please kick my head'_! … But which Hokage do I kick… "NO!" Naruto exclaimed, Making an X with his hands. Oh so he's finally snapped? I would've preferred kicking the Hokage's head but I suppose communication will suffice. "No more crappy missions! I want something super cool, I'm tired of this kid stuff!" He yelled, Mainly what all of us we're thinking but the majority had a bit too much pride to do so. I jumped when almost immediately after Naruto's outburst Iruka jumped up. I bet he was just waiting for Naruto to start spitting fire.

"You Idiot! You're just a rookie so you gotta start at the bottom of the pile like everyone else!"

"Oh yeah! Well that's too bad cause Im a great ninja and I'm done being stuck doing work they're too lazy to do themselves!" Oh naruto dont say stuff like that, Iruka will know you heard it from me! Luckily, Iruka was too annoyed at Naruto to notice. Naruto would've yelled some more but Kakashi bonked him, whispering angrily for him to shut his trap. Like an angry father. Ugh, Lets not picture Angry Fathers. Hokage took this time to begin explaining the mission system of ninja… like we didn't already know of course- "Hey Tsuru, what are you gonna make for dinner tonight?" … Oh? Naruto waved me down, Tugging me to sit on the floor with him; Anything would beat listening the old man drone on about something we learned in first year of the Academy. "Well, I haven't made beef and potato rolls in a while, I could make those?" I whispered back, the two of us slipping into our own conversation. The rest of the team, As Much as they'd hate to admit it, also slipped into our conversation. Kakashi was just curious that I was making dinner while Sakura and Sasuke both were a bit curious on what those even were- Gasp! I could teach Sakura how to make them and then she could make them for Sasuke! What a great Idea! I lunged at Sakura, My eyes sparkling at the thought of romance.

"Sakura-Chan! wanna make so-"

"HEY LISTEN!" You were droning, sorry. I looked at the geezer, My hands still cupping Sakura's small little hands. Woah these were soft! "No offense Hokage-Sama but we're tired of pulling weeds. If you're gonna teach a child to hold a knife, Don't be surprised if they act out when they aren't allowed to use it." Despite the weight of what I said, I was currently making Sakura's hands cup my cheeks. They were so soft! I was so focused on the pinkness in front of me I almost didn't hear what the Hokage said.

"... You are entirely right Tsuru. Alright, If you want it so bad, I'll give you four a C-Rank mission? Its an escort mission if you're up-" Escort? As in leaving the village? Wait no i didnt mean that, Any other mission will-"WE'LL TAKE IT 'TTEBAYO! IS IT A PRINCESS? A LORD? OH, MAYBE ANOTHER KAGE EVEN!" Naruto sprung to life, bouncing back and fourth on his feet in excitement at the idea of … Escorting a literal Kage. Yeah even I knew that was _way _above our skills, The only Jutsu we knew was academy level. Well, us except Sasuke. He was a clan kid so he had access to better Jutsu's. I wanted to drive myself into the dirt for even suggesting a C rank now. We weren't ready to leave. We're we?I don't… _Im _not ready to leave. I hoped that that Naruto's bouncing would change the Hokage's mind but the Hokage only laughed at Naruto's excitement, waving him off to try and quell his the bubbles.

"Just give me a moment and I'll introduce him. Could you come in here please?" The Hokage looked to a side door, One I hadn't noticed and honestly I fought down the urge to laugh. Wait, was this guy just waiting there the whole time? So he basically heard Naruto yelling? ...Well at least he knows who he's working with. The door slammed open and slowly but surely, they scent of alcohol filled my senses as a man stumbled in. He leaned on the banister of the door for support, sweeping a lazy glance around the room as if looking for the ones supposed to be taking care of him. Though when he came upon us it was easy to see the visible agitation that took over his features. He sneered, wiping the beer from his lip and shot and accusatory at the Hokage. "What's this! You expect these brats to protect me?!" I scrunched my nose in disgust as he took another swig of his bottle and stared us down. "Especially the short one with the stupid looking face! And look at that one, that girl's jus' wearin a skirt like its some fashion show! Hey 're you blond moron's really ninja?!" He snapped, his words slurring together a bit as he spoke. Oh I knew he was talking about Naruto and I, we're the only blond ones here after all. It was a move of unison Naruto and I, both snarling as we took a step foreward to beat the everloving crap out of this geezer. Too bad we were held back, shame. Naruto by Kakashi and Me by Sasuke. I wiggled a bit, trying to escape tomato heads grasp but he just wouldn't let go.

"Tsuru give it a rest, We all know your skirt is for mobility. The alcohol is messing with the guy's head." Sasuke sighed, pulling me all the way back to his side. We all went silent at Sasuke's defense. Simply staring at him for a moment, me snickering quietly at the joke he made. It was silent for a moment before Naruto slowly pointed at himself. "-ey, hey are you gonna defend me too?" He asked, stopping his struggling for a moment. Sasuke shot him a look, squinting at him as if he was stupid.

"Tsuru's my head, she's smart unlike you dobe." Oh yeah, I completely forgot to mention. Over this past month Kakashi actually liked the head and tail system so we kept it. In training we sometimes would do pair sparing, Sasuke and I vs Naruto and Sakura. Sakura wasn't that good with physical attacks so a lot of times she would instruct him from the side, or just fight me. I didn't really go that hard on her honestly. When it came to her I would focus mainly on trying to get her to hit me, and when she did the hit wasn't that forceful. Anyhow she needed to learn how to hit harder, or at least hit parts that were weak. Well everyone starts somewhere right?

"YOU WANNA FIGHT 'TTEBAYO?!"

Right.

* * *

I did my best to ignore Akio flying around overhead, happily chattering overhead about finally going outside the village. Both her and Naruto were singing a made up song about 'fun outside the village'. Akio liked Naruto enough to talk around him, which inevitably led to this damn song they have been repeating over and over again for the last thirty minutes.

"_Fun times~ Out in the village with the sunnnnshinne! We'll be dancing with the, Ninja movvvess, Everyone is gonna… Stop and Grovvve- _OW TSU-CHAN!" Naruto fell to the ground as a wooden spoon smacked him dab in the forehead, Akio squawking shrilly as she flapped away from the assault. "Oops. My hand slipped." I grumbled dryly, my hand on my hip while the other was still a little outstretched. Naruto whined, rubbing his forehead as he climbed back onto the chair of the table. "Tsu-channn, you could have just told me to stooopp- Hey is that q new Apron?" Naruto's attention span wouldn't allow him to stay focused on the bump on his forehead (considering it left as soon as it came). I crossed my arm's, my new red apron bunching at my chest. "I _did_ ask you to stop. 20 minutes ago!... And yes it is a new apron thank you for noticing~" Akio fluttered back down onto Naruto's head, nuzzling in like a nest. Naruto giggled, reaching up and lightly patting Akio's feathers.

"Oh come on Tsu-chan, How could I not be excited 'ttebayo! We're having a real mission tomorrow! Outside the village, it's awesome!" He cheered, throwing his hands up and waving them around until he got a smile out of me. Which wasn't too hard; Naruto could always make me smile. This was something we've both been excited about, even in the academy. A mission that felt like we were real ninja and tomorrow, we had that mission we fantasized about to the land of waves, outside of the walls. Outside… Do you ever feel excitement for something scary, only to feel the fear that came with it as soon as you finally got it. What if I was wrong? What if there were demons in this world? Demons like the ones back home. What if as soon as we step out of these gates, a demon attacks us and i'm the only one with a weapon to kill it? What if I can't?

"Tsu-chan?" Naruto's weary voice drifted over my thoughts, tugging my attention to the blue eyed boy gazing at me. It was worry in his eyes, sympathy and a twist of anger. I watched as he slid out of the chair, approaching me carefully, as if I would spook. Did I really show that much fear on my face? So easily? It was like this boy could smell when I felt off put. His arms wrapped around my torso as his head snuggled against my neck.

"You'll be ok out there ya know? You're a pillar right? Pillars like you said are crazy strong so I'll be fine as long as you're there with me, ok?" He hugged me tightly, his voice soft as he spoke. Naruto's heart rang in soft bells once more. Melodic little bells. So I listened, listened to those bells and hugged him back just as tight; Those bells lulling me away from the memories and thoughts of horror. My hand lightly caressed the back of Naruto's head, flattening his hair a bit (he hated that). ". . .You have on you Wisteria Charm don't you?" I murmured, smiling when I felt his head nod. A part of me didn't like how Naruto just accepted the stories I told him, believed them without a single thought more. I hope I didn't turn him into a gullible child, that would just be for naught in a world of … Anything really.

**A/N: Hey kiddos! Im sorry its taken so long to post, and that its not as long as usual but with how the world is right now its not too easy to focus. I hope everyone is staying safe, healthy, and happy!**


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